Why Gary Cahill and England Do Not Warrant Criticism

On the back of the 2006 World Cup, departing England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson had a message for the English media.

"Don't kill [Wayne Rooney] because you will need him," he pleaded, per BBC Sport.

England had just crashed out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage for the second successive time under Eriksson's reign and the media wanted blood.

Given Rooney had been sent off in the loss to Portugal, he was the natural target.

Eight years on, England have arguably made little progress, and it's the same predicament—the media needs a similar warning where the entire England team is concerned.

If we're using tournament progress as a barometer, England have regressed since Eriksson's time in charge. They were dumped out in the last 16 by Germany at South Africa 2010 and didn't make it through their World Cup group in Brazil this summer.

After an uninspiring 1-0 victory against Norway last week, someone needs to be held accountable and right now, the FA are adamant it's not going to be manager Roy Hodgson.

But the buck shouldn't be passed to the players, either. Not yet.

Unlike 2006, this is a young England team at the beginning of its cycle. There is no "golden generation" tag, no hype and little experience to fall back on.

Yet the team is tarred with the same brush, with the same expectations being asked of them.

There needs to be a reality check.

Chelsea's Gary Cahill is one of the most experienced players in the England set-up, and at 28, with a cap for each year to his name, it says a lot about where English football finds itself.

Elsewhere, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are no longer the midfield partnership. Against Norway, that honour fell to Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere—two players whose playing time together is limited.

Elsewhere Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling operated on the wings, giving Hodgson's side a very different look to the one we saw in South America this summer.

What was the Wembley crowd, the media and rest of England expecting?

Great teams aren't made overnight, yet bad teams aren't, either.

To expect this young team to be brushing aside all that stand before them—even Norway—is premature in the extreme.

Change has come too quick, and Hodgson has been left with the nucleus of his team decimated by international retirements. Now he's rebuilding.

The biggest fault in the process has been a resistance over the years to integrate one generation with the next. It's been too slow and ineffective.

Cahill, for example, had to wait until joining Chelsea in 2012 before he could start regarding himself as a regular for his country.

The partnership between Rio Ferdinand and John Terry had understandably impacted that, and ever since each player retired, he has struggled to form a bond with a defensive partner of significant quality.

Cahill's form for his country has been far from what we expect when he is in Chelsea colours. It's been erratic at times, while in contrast there have been periods where he has led from the back with the look of a player at ease on the international stage.

He's still finding his way in the international game, adjusting to a new era where a large proportion of the so-called golden stars of the past have disappeared.

Hodgson and his players aren't at fault here, more the system that has produced the position the national team finds itself.

Where has been the transition from the Under-21 team to the seniors?

Of the German team that lifted the World Cup this summer, five players featured in the 2009 Under-21 European Championship final against England.

In the England squad, just James Milner was present.

Germany have been building their senior team through the youth system, ensuring they continued playing together and graduating them in unison.

England's policy has been the opposite.

Rather than sacrifice a manager or group of players in the name of progress, the criticism needs to be targeted in the right areas.

There is always pressure for any team to perform, yet before they have taken the field, England's youngsters have already failed in most people's eyes.

Calls have long been heard for an injection of youth, only when it came against Norway, the manager was criticised for overseeing the death of English football with a squad that didn't carry the weight of yesteryear.

This process needs time.

There's much to do for England to restore their status as a leading nation on the world stage and it starts here.

Before they get that chance to prove themselves, though, let's not kill them just yet. At least give them a competitive game or two.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes